LONDON

The newest property to hit the South Bank is the Mondrian London at Sea Containers, a 359-room luxury property from the Morgans Hotel Group. Built in the historic Sea Containers building, British designer Tom Dixon captured the culture and history of the area, drawing on the “golden age of transatlantic travel” for inspiration.

Some of the best hair stylists in the world can be seen working backstage at Fashion Week, styling for magazines and commercials, or working with the biggest A-list stars. But where do they go when they aren’t teasing tresses behind-the-scenes?

Verde & Co., the bespoke delicatessen in the Spitalfields area of London opened by Harvey Cabaniss nine years ago, pays homage to the UK city it is located in. The shop has long been a local favorite, keeping the original storefront and offering an elevated selection of the fruits, vegetables and fine foods that the area was once known for.

Stunning and almost surreal, in style and size, a stay at London’s Corinthia Hotel is well worth it, even if only for its superb spa spanning four floors. Close to the River Thames and on the doorstep of Trafalgar Square, Westminster and Covent Garden, this luxury property with a distinct contemporary palatial ambiance, opened four years ago.

Lovers of modern art will want to stop by the Pipilotti Rist exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in London this season, as the visual artist will be offering an immersive experience to visitors of the gallery. Rist has transformed the space into a sensory environment with two new videos projected onto the walls, shown in simultaneous presentations.

With Christmas and the New Year fast approaching, the quintessential English experience—traditional afternoon tea in some of London’s most luxurious settings—is a seasonal practice worth getting into. Credit for the long-held custom dates back to the Duchess of Bedford, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria, who ordered tea with delicacies in her boudoir for friends. Since then, it has expanded exponentially with almost every major hotel offering its own version, each striving to outdo the other with innovative variations. While all include finger sandwiches on assorted breads with fillings such as cheese, cucumber, egg mayonnaise, ham, salmon and tuna, they all also have unique features.

Whether you're an opera fan, an avid admirer of historical architecture, or just someone who appreciates beauty, there are few buildings more lovely than the opera houses found all over the world. Sure, many are incredibly well known (like the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Sydney Opera House in Australia), but others tend to be quieter — though their stories are no less amazing.

Julien’s Auctions of Beverly Hills and The Lyttelton at The Stafford London have come together to offer locals and visitors the Chef’s Spices Afternoon Tea with a rare glimpse at the designs worn by HRH Diana, Princess of Wales.

Ever since Charles Dickens immortalized London as the 1840’s setting of the classic A Christmas Carol, ye olde English capital has been the world’s most ideal place to celebrate a traditional Yuletide. Just being in London’s city center in the wintertime elicits nostalgic excitement thanks to the cheerful buzz on the streets, in the shops, the restaurants, at the special holiday productions and with the warm holiday hospitality of hoteliers who delight in creating special feasts, experiences and memories for guests.

In the luxury real estate game, a listing agent hits the jackpot when the property they're representing becomes the world's most expensive, a title which can change at any moment. According to Yahoo Finance, that title belongs to the home at 17 Upper Phillimore Gardens in London's ritzy Kensington neighborhood.

Have you seen the newly renovated Bombay Sapphire Laverstoke Mill gin distillery in Hampshire? It's pretty dang cool. The site opened to the public early in the month, showing off the unique glasshouses in which the 10 botanicals (juniper, lemon peel, grains of paradise, coriander, cubeb berries, orris root, almonds, cassia bark, liquorice, and angelica) that make up the Bombay Sapphire taste are grown.

Is it still cool to reference Portlandia's "put a bird on it" sketch? Artist Dave White must think so, since he literally put birds all over this Albion E-Type Art Car. Okay, that may not be entirely fair, because the luxury auto actually looks pretty cool. Commissioned by a private collector, the Jag has been on view at Loughran Gallery's Albion Exhibition in London as part of a bigger exhibition of White's work.

In case you missed it, The World's 50 Best Bars announced their picks Thursday for 2014, giving you the pub crawl to end all pub crawls. Put on by Drinks International, the winners were chosen by over 330 industry professionals and includes bars from 14 different counties, with the top 10 dominated by London and New York. In fact, North America made up for 16 of the overall 50, with four landing at the top of the list. Check out the top 10 below and see if your favorite made the cut!

When it comes to where we live or even the places we visit, we all have a story to tell. Whether you’ve traveled many miles to see the world, or you’ve chosen to remain in the same place your whole life, there is always a unique narrative behind a destination; a magnetism that draws visitors in and keeps locals from leaving.

With almost every corner of this beautiful property boasting floor-to-ceiling windows providing panoramic views across London, it’s not hard to see why Shangri-La’s debut London property is a hit with guests near and far. Completed in 2012, The Shard stands at 1,016-feet tall, making it Western Europe’s tallest building and Shangri-La at The Shard is the United Kingdom’s first elevated hotel.

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